Ghost Heart
by ChaosAngel4us
Summary: Mac was NOT anyone special. She was timid, yes, and attracted ghost/dark Pokemon, but she never intended to leave Canalave. But when her best friend is kidnapped, she's forced into an adventure to capture the legendary Pokémon Darkrai. On this journey, she learns more about her past as well as the true intentions behind Team Galactic. *currently being rewritten*
1. Seven Years Old

**This started out by me making an OC for someone else's story. I liked her so much, I decided I could make a pretty good story about her. Enjoy!  
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A young woman, in her thirties at least, stood outside the door to her daughter's bedroom. She watched the seven-year-old playing with a small and curious Misdreavus and laughed to herself every time the Pokémon appeared in different places and making the child laugh. The little girl turned to see her mother standing in the doorway. She hopped up and ran towards her as her beautiful long blond hair swished behind her. The dark blue eye that shown through her hair covering most of her face sparkled as she smiled at her mother.

"Hey, Mommy!" she called as her mother picked her up off the ground.

"Hey there, baby. Are you having fun with Misdreavus?" the woman asked brightly. The little girl smiled and nodded her head.

"Yeah, he kept on disappearing and appearing in different places. It was funny." She laughed. The little girl's laugh was bright yet sad at the same time. It was a beautiful laugh none the less, but it also broke your heart to hear it.

"Are you ready to go to school today?" the mother asked placing the little girl down and tying up her short dark brown hair. The little girl's smiling face changed to that of a horrified expression. At that moment, Misdreavus appeared by her soon-to-be trainer's side. The Pokémon's expression matched his trainer's also.

"M-mommy! No, please don't make me go!" she wailed. Her mother's expression firmed as she stared at her daughter.

"Mac, you're going to school. You need to learn about Pokémon before you can get your trainer card and be able to train Misdreavus. It wouldn't be fair to him. I don't care how shy you are, you are going to school in Jubilife City!" her mother stated and Mac hung her head. Her mother's face softened and she began to feel for her daughter.

"Bring Misdreavus and Murkrow with you. They'll help calm your spirit and scare off bullies." Mac looked up at her mother and smiled slightly.

"I'll go get ready." She said sadly. Her mother watched as her daughter pulled on a pair of dark washed jeans and a black t-shirt with a Duskull design on it. She walked out of her room and walked downstairs with Misdreavus following her. He was a very timid Pokémon and reminded the woman of her daughter. They were destined to become best friends and her mother would have it no other way.

"Crystal!" a voice resounded through the house. The woman (Crystal) walked down the stairs. At the base, there was a tall man with the dark blue eyes that matched Mac's and untamable black hair.

"Yes, Andrew?" Crystal asked sweetly. He smiled at her.

"I wanted to know if you were ready to leave yet. Mac is already in the car." Crystal nodded her head and followed her husband out of the house. In the car, Mac was cradling two pokéballs: one a luxury ball, the other a dusk ball. Crystal smiled and climbed into the passenger seat.

"You know, when Murkrow evolves, he'll be able to fly you all over the place." Crystal mused as her daughter's face brightened.

"That would be cool." She added. The trip from Sandgem to Jubilife was a long and silent one. When they reached the Trainer's School, Crystal and Andrew got out of the car to walk Mac in.

They had been a bit lenient on Mac's schooling. When she was five, the sent her to school, but she came home so terrified and upset that it broke their hearts. They decided to wait a year or two after that. Not too long after her first experience at school, she found Misdreavus hiding under their roof. Mac loved him immediately and he loved her just as fast. They became instant friends and Andrew gave Mac a luxury ball to keep him in. The two were inseparable and Crystal knew that together they would make the perfect team. At least a year later came the next addition to Mac's developing team. Murkrow was in an egg that Andrew had found. He gave it to Mac and said that she deserved another Pokémon for company. When in hatched, Mac and the Murkrow became friends also and she "caught" him in a dusk ball.

Mac's parents walked her inside the school and they met her teacher.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. McLennin. I am Miss Walters, Mac's teacher this year. I can't wait to have her added to my class and I just know we'll have a great year." Miss Walters smiled and Mac took a hesitant step back.

"Mac is a very timid child. She brought two Pokémon with her for comfort. One of them might stay out of its pokéball in case Mac needs him. I hope you don't mind." Crystal told the young teacher. She smiled brightly.

"Of course not. They'll be learning how to battle this year so it would be helpful if her Pokémon got to know the environment." Miss Walters leaned down to look at the terrified child.

"Come, now. Let's go to your classroom." Mac said bye to her parents and followed the young teacher at a distance. Misdreavus appeared out of his pokéball and Mac clung to him and pulled him to her chest. At the door to her classroom, she turned around. She waved sadly at her parents and walked inside.


	2. Present Time and Goodbye

**Chapter dos! I like this one the best, and I love Misdreavus so much! I'm gona try to upload chapters prewtty fast because I really like this  
story!  
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Mac opened her eyes quickly, awakening from the dream she had. She sat up quickly and the luxury ball on her desk began to vibrate and a small Pokémon called Misdreavus appeared out of it. Mac smiled and ran a hand through her thick long blond hair. The Pokémon let out a shrill cry and Mac laughed out loud, her laugh a more human version of the Pokémon's cry.

"Mornin' Misdreavus." She said cheerfully and smiled. The Pokémon floated over to her and snuggled up against her as Mac hugged him.

"I'm hungry," the Pokémon nodded his head also, "let's get something to eat." She pulled on a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a gray t-shirt with many weird shapes and patterns all over it. She pulled on her signature black vest with several buttons on it. There was a Misdreavus, Haunter, Duskull, Murkrow, Drifloon, and a Shuppet button on her vest, showing her normal team that was at her side.

Mac stepped quickly and quietly down the stairs of her house with the small Pokémon following closely behind her. He stayed quiet and when Mac reached the bottom of the stairs, he sat on her head as she walked into the kitchen.

"Morning, guys!" Mac called to the five Pokémon moving about in her kitchen. Drifloon was making breakfast with help from Duskull who was occasionally pranking Murkrow who was _trying_ to set the table, emphasis on trying. Haunter was… hiding… and Shuppet, the newest addition to Mac's team, was floating around happily feeding on the angry and vicious thoughts coming from Murkrow (concerning Duskull).

"Thanks for making breakfast, Drifloon." Mac thanked the balloon-like Pokémon and she nodded, or at least it looked like she nodded. Duskull made a plate float back into the cupboards, one that Murkrow had just set onto the table. Murkrow squawked angrily at Duskull. Shuppet was having a ball with all the angry emotions floating around coming from Murkrow, like usual.

"Guys, please stop fighting!" Mac said and Haunter appeared. She (Haunter) began to help stop Duskull from bugging the poor Murkrow. After a few minutes of that, Haunter stiffened and floated towards the door.

"I smell food, and I know it's not Mac's cooking 'cause she can't cook." Came a voice at the door. Mac smiled and yelled, "Seth, you know it was Drifloon cooking! She's the only one in this house that can!"

A boy clad in black stepped into Mac's view. His black hair hung in his dark eyes that were glittering brightly. Haunter was by his side and the boy sat down next to Mac.

"Sup, guys." He said to the Pokémon in the room. They all greeted him in various ways with their various calls.

"What's up, Seth?" Mac asked her best friend lightly. He shrugged. "I'm always here in the mornings. I thought you'd be used to it by now." He answered. Mac shook her head laughing lightly.

"I always enjoy checking on my old Pokémon." He said as Haunter floated near him. He winked at Mac. "And of course, I wanted to see my best friend in the whole entire world." Mac smiled and punched Seth lightly in the arm.

"I love Canalave City, but I think it's time for me to leave." Seth said seriously. Mac gave him a bewildered look.

"Why? There's plenty to do here! Where do you intend to go?"

Seth shrugged again. "I'm thinking about challenging the Elite Four. My team and I are ready for a challenge." Mac's face fell and she paled.

"What about me?" she asked quietly. Seth smiled at her.

"You could come with me. We could beat the Elite Four together." Mac shook her head.

"I-I-I'm not ready to go on an adventure." She smiled, "You know me, I'm too timid to go all around the world collecting more than the three badges I already own," Seth turned to look her in the eyes. He began to say something but she continued softly, "but you on the other hand are much braver and stronger. You could take on the Elite Four and win easily."

Misdreavus sat back on Mac's head and Seth reached up to scratch the Pokémon on its own head.

"I'll miss you a lot." He hugged her and she barely stopped the tears from falling down her face. "I'll be leaving in a week's time. Until then I'll be preparing at the library or on Iron Island." He kissed the top of her forehead and they continued breakfast.

"I'll be heading out to Iron Island today. You want to come?" Seth asked. Mac nodded her head and had all her Pokémon return to their pokéballs. The two then left her house and walked side by side to the Dock on the other side of town.

"Hello, Mac, hello, Seth." called the owner of the ship that traveled between Canalave City and Iron Island.

"Hello, Captain." They both said in unison.

"Where'll it be?"

"Iron Island, please." Seth answered. The captain nodded and the three boarded the boat.

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The sun began to sink into the sky as the pair finished their battle.

"Torterra, use Earthquake!" yelled Seth. Mac's Drifloon was unaffected as the large grass Pokémon used the ground move on the foes' Machoke and Charmeleon.

"Drifloon, use Shadow Ball." Mac whispered to her Pokémon. Drifloon released a ball of pure ghostly power at the foe's Charmeleon, fainting it after Torterra's Earthquake.

"Machoke, use Brick Break!" yelled Mandy, one of the two trainer they had battling. Her fiery red hair was tangled and Wendy the other trainer was crushed at the fact her strongest Pokémon had been defeated. The petite blond cradled the pokéball that held her fainted Pokémon as she cheered on her partner.

Machoke had lost serious HP, so its movements were clumsy and Drifloon was easily able to sidestep the attack.

"Drifloon, use Gust." Mac said simply. Her Pokémon released a twister-like wind attack and Mandy's Pokémon fainted after being dealt a super effective attack.

"Great battle, you two." Wendy said handing money to the trainers who had defeated their Pokémon.

"You too." agreed Seth. Mac nodded her head and Mandy tossed money their way.

"See you two tomorrow." Mandy said with a smile as she picked up her bad and walked away with Wendy following her.

Seth smiled at Mac. "That was fun." Mac nodded her head.

"We'd better head back." She returned Drifloon to her pokéball and the pair headed back.

***

The alarm went off next to Mac's bed and she groggily pulled herself out of bed. Like every morning, Misdreavus came out of his pokéball to greet her. She smiled and got dressed. There was heavy banging on her door and Mac headed downstairs to see what was going on. She yanked open the door with a yawn. It was Mandy. Her red hair was combed and her green eyes were full of alarm.

"Yeah?" Mac asked sleepily.

"It's Seth! He's gone! Someone stormed his house last night and, and kidnapped him!"


	3. Taken and a Small Discovery

**I said I'd be uploading fast. I like this chapter the best, but I think I should have seperated some of the ending. Oh well. I hope you enjoy!**

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Mac's heart began racing as she ran after Mandy towards Seth's house. Misdreavus was right behind her the whole time. Police tape surrounded Seth's house when the two trainers arrived. The door looked as if it had been broken down and from what they could see, the house was trashed. Mac's heart clenched and she felt broken and alone even though one of her closest friends was standing right next to her. Misdreavus nuzzled her cheek in comfort as a tear slid down Mac's face.

"H-h-he's really g-gone?" Mac stuttered staring at the trashed house. Mandy nodded her head.

"It happened sometime last night. They found a piece of his ripped shirt and heavy footprints from a large and strong Pokémon. There aren't any leads yet." Mandy said sadly. Tears began pooling below Mac's eyes.

"He was my best friend." She whispered brokenly. Mandy held her friend as she cried. Misdreavus, as loss for what to do, soared home and quickly gathered the rest of Mac's Pokémon. A few minutes later, Mac was being cradled by all six of her Pokémon as she sobbed silently.

A policeman walked over to the group and Mac wiped her eyes the best she could.

"We believe it was committed by a Garchomp and its trainer. The footprints seem to match, but why this attack happened is beyond any of our understanding. Did your friend have any enemies?" the policeman asked. Mac and Mandy both thought for a minute.

"None that we know of." Mandy answered. She turned to Seth's old Pokémon, Haunter. "Did he have any enemies that you knew of?" she asked the Pokémon. It shook its head 'no' and both trainers and policeman were at a loss.

"Why would someone abduct a person without reason or a note that would—" Mac started, but was interrupted when a woman in a police uniform ran out of the house.

"W-we… found a… n-note." She gasped out between breathes as she handed the policeman that was talking to the girls a letter.

"It says, 'Dear Trainer, Police, or whoever happened to find this note:

We have kidnapped the young trainer who lives here for the purpose of receiving a very rare and almost impossible to find Pokémon. It is known as Darkrai. We heard that a trainer is great friends with ghost/dark Pokémon that lived in this city. After excessive tracking and watching, we discovered who they were _and_ their soft spot. Mac McLennin, I am talking about you. You are a gifted child, being able to befriend ghost Pokémon so easily. We are demanding the capture of Darkrai and the delivery to be done in a place that will be revealed soon, after you capture this Pokémon. Do not worry, we shall be watching you. We also demand that Mac is the one to deliver it, alone. If you ever want to see this trainer again, I suggest you comply with our demands.

Sincerely,'

And the ending is cut off…" the policeman read. Mac paled and stared at the policeman in horror.

"It is alright. We shall deal with this mess and return your friend—" the police started but Mac's quiet but firm voice interrupted.

"No. You read what they said. I am to do this, alone." She chuckled darkly, "I started out not wanting an adventure, but apparently I wind up in one anyway."

"It's too dangerous. Darkrai is an evil Pokémon that prowls the night. It's legendary and will be most difficult to track down and capture. It can place you in a horrible sleep, one that would last forever and be a never ending nightmare." The policeman warned, but Mac had already made up her mind.

"I am the only one that is able to save Seth. He's my best friend, my family since my parents… well, you know… Without him, I can't live. He completes me and now he's been captured. If the only way to save him is to track down this horrible Pokémon, then so be it. I would do anything for him." The policeman nodded, realizing she was firm. "I will rescue him at all costs."

Mandy turned to look at her friend. "What if I come with you? That might make it a little bit easier." she suggested. "Don't you think that if we worked together, we'd be able to complete the 'task' together?"

Mac shook her head solemnly. "No. I couldn't stand it if any of my friends got hurt unnecessarily. I don't know what exactly I'll experience as I search for Seth, but whatever it is, I don't want you or anyone to get hurt. Please, stay here and safe." Mandy gave her a defiant look.

"I'm not helpless! I can take care of myself." She argued.

"Yes, but Darkrai is a Pokémon you've never faced before. If it hurt you or placed you in a never ending nightmare, I'd never forgive myself. Please, stay here." Mandy nodded her head and hugged her friend.

"Bring back Seth. Wendy and I will do research for you and help you in whatever way we can from here. I'll miss you and please be careful." Mandy whispered. Mac nodded her head and returned her Pokémon to their pokéballs. Murkrow perched himself on her shoulder and Mac left for the closest city, Jubilife.

Mac and her Pokémon reached route 218. She looked around at the edge of the water trying to find a way across. There was none. Murkrow squawked beside her and Mac looked at him in wonder.

"What is it, Murk?" she asked the dark bird. He squawked again and pointed a wing at the water. Mac turned and saw a girl that looked like she was floating on the water. She waved at Mac and got closer to the shore. Before Mac could ask how she was doing that (floating on the water), an enormous dragon-like Pokémon emerged from the surface. It was huge and blue in color. It was quite scary since it towered above Mac and the bird Pokémon. Mac wanted to scream, but she was frozen in fear. Murkrow squawked loudly in fear as the girl on the large Pokémon's back hopped off. Mac returned Murkrow to his pokéball and turned shakily towards the girl.

She had brown eyes and light brown hair that barely touched her shoulders. It bobbed out at the edges and she was wearing jean shorts frayed at the end. Her shirt was blue with a Pokémon on it that looked just like the Pokémon in the water.

"Howdy!" the girl called and Mac smiled. "I'm Kendal. Who are you?"

"M-m-mac, it's nice to meet you." Mac stuttered. Kendal smiled and patted the huge Pokémon on its head. "This is Gyna, my Gyarados." Kendal added. Mac smiled hesitantly.

"Is she friendly?"

"Absolutely."

Mac smiled hesitantly. Kendal tilted her head to the side and turned to look at her Gyarados. "Do you want a ride over to the other side?" Kendal asked Mac. Mac nodded her head and Kendal jumped up on her Pokémon. Mac carefully and hesitantly climbed on too.

"I hope I'm not too much of a bother." Mac stated. Kendal shook her head.

"We were searching for Pokémon so it won't do no harm in takin' ya to the other side." The country girl answered with a smile. They both traveled in silence for a minute until Kendal spoke up.

"You headin' for Jubilife?" she asked. Mac nodded her head.

"I'm, uh, looking for my friend who went off on, uh, an adventure." She stuttered trying to find a way to tell the girl about Seth without revealing too much.

"Cool. You lived in Canalave your whole life?" the questions seemed to get to Mac, because she'd never really opened up to anyone.

"Uh, no, not really. I used to live in Sandgem Town. When I was 10, my parents went off on a short adventure to locate a secret garden hidden beyond Sinnoh when I left to get my first gym badge. Their ship was lost at sea and I was told they were dead. I moved to Canalave shortly afterwards." Mac closed up and refused to say anymore. Her pokéteck beeped and Mandy's face appeared on the small screen. **(A/N: I added another app, the pokéteck now allows trainers to communicate with each other)**

"Mac, we have info on Darkrai." Mandy's voice was distorted and sounded like she was speaking through a piece of tin foil.

"It's a dark type of Pokémon that can only be found in nightmares. When in visits a person or Pokémon, it causes a never ending dream that they can only be woken up from with a lunar wing. The Pokémon comes in a dark ghostly shape, even though it's only a dark type Pokémon. Darkrai and a lunar Pokémon known as Cresselia were partners in creating light and darkness." Mandy stopped for a moment to look at Mac. "There are two different versions of how and why Darkrai plagues dreams. One is that he deceived Cresselia and to punish him, she made it impossible for him to leave the dream world. In anger, he plagued the dreams of young children. Using a lunar wing, Cresselia was able to save many from the eternal horror. The other version is where Darkrai was imprisoned in the dream world by an unknown Pokémon. He tried to escape through dreams, but his presence only caused the person/Pokémon to go into a coma like state. Outraged by the fact that innocent were being harmed by an unseen force, Cresselia made sure Darkrai could never escape. She did not know that none of it was purposefully caused, and to this day Darkrai continues to try and find a way out."

Mac nodded her head. "Which one is true?" she asked. Mandy shook her head.

"We don't know. For all we know, they both could be false."

"Is that all you know? Did you find out how to capture him?"

"We're still looking into it." Mandy's face flickered off the screen.

"So, you're lookin' for this Darkrai, huh?" Kendal said. The two trainers were at the shore on the other side by then. Mac turned to face the curious country trainer.

"I have to capture it to save my friend. He was kidnapped and the only way to free him is if I bring the kidnappers Darkrai." Kendal nodded her head.

"Well, I could help ya. I'll be travelin' a lot too, so I could give ya the info I gather over time." Kendal suggested. Mac nodded her head.

"It would be great to have an extra hand." Kendal programmed Mac's file into her pokéteck so she could call her if she found out any info.

"Thanks for ferrying me across." Mac said. Kendal nodded her head.

"No problem. See ya around." She waved at Mac as she hopped back on Gyna. Mac turned to enter Jubilife City in hopes of finding any info on the task before her.

_Don't worry, Seth. I'm coming…_


	4. Even More Darkrai Info

**I really did some research for this chapter, so I hope you appreciate it. If you don't that's ok too... It'll only make me sad. **

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Misdreavus floated cautiously around Mac's head searching for anyone who might cause harm to his trainer. Mac was staring intently at her trainer's map looking specifically at Jubilife City. She searched for a place that would offer any Pokémon information and the only thing appearing on her map was the Trainer's School.

"Look's like we're heading back to school, Misdreavus." She muttered to the timid ghost currently sitting on her head. He let out a submissive shriek and floated down onto her shoulder.

She walked around town until she saw the bright red building. She smiled and walked inside. Up at the blackboard was a young woman, in her twenties at least. She was writing something about Pokémon statuses. Mac hesitantly walked up to her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Oh! Hi, I'm Miss Alice. How may I be of assistance, young trainer?" the woman said spinning around quickly.

"Um, I'm looking for information on a legendary Pokémon named Darkrai. It's, um, for a personal project." Mac stared at her shoes waiting for the teacher to answer.

"No problem." She walked over to a shelf in the back of the schoolroom and returned with an old dusty book.

"This has all the info on legendary Pokémon. It should be quite useful." She gave Mac a smile. "Please, stay as long as you want."

Mac nodded her head and sat down at a table. She opened the book sending dust flying everywhere. She coughed and waved her hands in the air trying to clear it. Misdreavus screamed and blew some away.

"Thanks buddy." Mac said and let out the breath she had been holding.

"Let's do this."

Mac searched through the pages until she came upon something about the Pokémon she was trying to find.

"_Darkrai is a black, shadow-like creature. It has a small black head with a white substance erupting from its head covering one of its bright blue eyes, and also has a red growth around its neck. It has skinny arms and long black tatters hang from its shoulders. It has an hourglass figure and appears to be wearing an old, ripped cloak. It normally doesn't have any sort of legs, but it is able to extend stilt-like appendages in their place. In __self-defense__, Darkrai also appears capable of retracting its head and white "plume" into the pit atop its torso fringed by the aforementioned red growth. Darkrai can __trap people in nightmares__. It can become a shadow to move quickly, but it is still susceptible to damage in this state. It is also capable of human speech. It is known that his power rivals of that of __Dialga__ and __Palkia__. To some people, Darkrai is also considered as an actual god of true darkness. Darkrai is the __only known Pokémon__ that learns __Dark Void__. Darkrai is always active and on the move during nights of the full moon. This Pokémon "inhabits" people's dreams and causes them to have unending nightmares. It is stated that the only way a person can wake from one of these nightmares is to be exposed to the __Lunar Wing__ of __Cresselia__. Contrary to popular belief, this "unleashing of nightmares" is in fact a defense mechanism, rather than something of malicious intent."_

Mac shook her head. That didn't seem right. Darkrai is a shadowy creature, an evil Pokémon. "…_this "unleashing of nightmares" is in fact a defense mechanism, rather than something of malicious intent."_ That means that it isn't an evil Pokémon, just one that gets attacked often. That didn't match what Mandy had told her.

She shook her head again and continued reading.

"_Darkrai comes to Canalave City once every year. Due to a machine created by Team Rocket, the Pokémon came early and caused terrible nightmares. One night, it was concealing itself when __Cresselia__ used its abilities to reveal it from the darkness. The two then battled and Darkrai hid itself once more in the shadows. It's never returned since…"_ **(A/N: All info about Darkrai in this chapter is from bulbapedia)**

Mac scratched her head. That didn't add up. First it says that Darkrai isn't malicious when it causes nightmares, but a real life event records that Darkrai did it on purpose.

She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She hissed and woke up Misdreavus who had been snoozing on her head.

"Sorry I woke you, Misdreavus." Mac said tiredly. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. Misdreavus shrieked again and looked out the window. Mac followed his gaze and noticed the moon. It was a crescent and she remembered something she'd read.

"_Darkrai is always active and on the move during nights of the full moon."_ It wasn't a full moon, but when it was she would be able to find Darkrai easier. She turned to the Pokémon trying to sleep on the table and picked him up. She cradled the little Pokémon in her arms and left the trainer's school.

"Let's find somewhere to crash little guy." She whispered to the slumbering ghost Pokémon in her arms. He cuddled up against her and yawned.

"I love you too." She said hugging Misdreavus. His silent shriek made her smile.

She opened up her trainer's map and looked for a hotel of some sort. There were none. She settled for the small stretch of land between Jubilife and Florama. Mac set up a tent and crawled inside. Misdreavus was already in his pokéball and Mac was asleep within mere moments.


	5. Florama Windworks PART I

**This is the shortest chapter, but it has some very importantant points. I thank everyone for reading my story, and after at least 35 chapters, there will be a sequal, so please stay with me here!  
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Mac slowly opened her eyes and looked carefully around the forest like area of route 204. She yawned and stretched her aching muscles.

"Flooooon!" Mac turned to see Drifloon making some potato soup. She smiled at the balloon Pokémon and was greeted by a bowl of steaming soup.

"Thanks for the soup, Drifloon." Mac began scarfing down the soup as fast as she could. The rest of her Pokémon woke up and popped out of their pokéballs to eat. Before long, Mac and her team were well rested and well fed.

"Hey! You, trainer, I challenge you to a Pokémon Battle!" Mac looked up at a young boy holding out a pokéball.

"Three against three, okay?" Mac asked. The boy nodded.

Mac sent out Drifloon, and the boy sent out a Bidoof.

"Go Boofy!" The boy called. "Use tackle!" The beaver-like Pokémon ran at full speed towards Drifloon.

"Use confuse ray, then gust." A small ball of ghost energy was shot towards the foe, confusing it on impact. As the Pokémon moved around trying to get its bearings, Drifloon caused a small tornado of wind and pushed it towards the Bidoof. The Pokémon got sucked up and battered around a few times until it fainted.

"No! Boofy, come back!" The boy returned the Pokémon to its pokéball and threw another one out.

"Go Tatek!" the boy sent out a Kriketot. "Use bide!" The Pokémon started to store energy.

"Use gust again." The foe Kriketot fainted like the Bidoof did before. Frustrated, the boy sent out his last Pokémon.

"Go Biddy! Use tackle!" The Bidoof charged, but another gust fainted it.

"Great job, Drifloon!" Mac praised her Pokémon.

"Flooooon!" Drifloon was covered in a blue light, and her form began to become distorted. Mac watched as the two limbs Drifloon used to have split into four and thickened. Her balloon-like body augmented and her onyx eyes turned a crimson color. The once blue fringe below her body also turned red. The bluish light faded, and before her eyes, Mac saw that Drifloon had evolved.

"Drifblim!" Drifblim called and nuzzled her trainer. Mac hugged her Pokémon and laughed.

"You evolved!"

The boy Mac had beaten tossed money their way.

"Good battle. Nice meeting you."

Mac smiled at him. "Nice meeting you to." And the two trainers went their separate ways. Mac packed up her stuff and headed towards Florama Town. She walked up the path until she reached the entrance of Ravage Path. Noticing that if she floated up, she would reach the northern part of route 204 without having to go into the cave. Drifblim carried her up and set her down at the top. Mac looked around; it was unusually quiet. There were no trainers anywhere. Mac shrugged and entered Florama Town.

Inside the town, people were buzzing around the usually quiet town. A little girl ran towards her.

"Trainer, please save my daddy! Team Galactic has taken over Valley Windworks and kidnapped my daddy! They're also in the Florama Meadow! Please help!" Mac tried to calm the girl down before heading off towards the Valley Windworks.

"_Home…" _Mac stopped in her tracks when she heard a voice. She looked around trying to find the source of the voice. Drifblim, still by her side, looked around longingly.

"_Home…"_ Mac watched Drifblim, and realized she was hearing her thoughts.

"How…" Drifblim turned to look at her.

"_I… Home…"_ Mac nodded. This was Drifblim's home before she started to travel with Mac. The windmills blew air gently towards the pair and the sweet scent of honey wafted through the air. Up ahead, the Pokémon and her trainer saw the Valley Windworks building and walked towards it. Mac tried the door, but it was locked.

"Dang it!" she almost shouted. Misdreavus came out of his pokéball. He shrieked and disappeared.

"Misdreavus!?" Mac yelled in confusion and surprise. Drifblim shrugged.

"Where did he go?" Mac wondered to herself, hoping her Pokémon would return soon.

***

_Must help Mac._ Misdreavus thought to himself. He wandered the halls trying to find a way to open the door.

_Voices…_ He floated towards the sound warily and peered at the source from behind a pillar. He saw a lady in red with a funny looking dress and funky red hair. He laughed to himself watching her.

"Hurry up!" she commanded, "Gather as much energy as you can, we need it for Cyrus. He wants it so we can sap as much energy as we can from Darkrai, when it arrives." Misdreavus listened quietly. All he really understood was they were stealing energy and something about the Pokémon Mac was trying to capture.

"Let me go, please! My daughter is worried sick." The man in a white lab coat was probably who Mac was trying to find, Misdreavus guessed. He scanned the rest of the room, his eyes stopping on a cage in the back of the room. His squinted trying to see better, and when he realized who it was, his eyes widened.

"You'll never get Darkrai. Mac will stop you." It was Seth.

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**OOOOOHHHH! Misdreavus found Seth, but what shall happen next? Will he be rescued already? Or will Mac narrowly miss him? Stay tuned to find out!**


	6. Florama Windworks PART II

**Oh man! It's been WAYYYY too long since I updated. FORGIVE ME!!!!! School is killer. I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me… Lots of love to my faithful readers (If any of you are left…)! I'll get working on chapter seven IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!  
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Misdreavus did everything in his power to not rush inside the cramped room to save Seth. It wouldn't be his smartest idea…

"_Key…"_ Misdreavus thought, looking for the item that opened doors. A glint of gold caught his eye and he noticed a gold key sitting on the table. With a nod, the small Pokémon cloaked himself and floated in that direction. He lifted the shiny object and turned to leave, but something about poor Seth sitting there made him float that way.

He offered a quiet shriek to alert Seth of his presence, and the black haired boy turned to see him.

"Misdreavus" he mouthed and the Pokémon cuddled up to him.

"Mac" Misdreavus nodded his head and Seth looked up at Mars. He undid the necklace around his neck and fastened it to Misdreavus' neck.

"Get her" Misdreavus was gone in a flash.

Mars heard a noise and saw Seth watching her smugly. Mars smiled deviously.

"She's here." Several grunts turned terrified ayes to her.

"What should we do?" someone asked.

"Prepare for her." She turned to Seth. "Remove him."

***

Mac looked around with Drifblim for an entrance. She sighed with defeat when the only way in was through the locked door. She blew a hair out of her face exasperatedly, and sat down with her head in her hands. Drifblim nuzzled her softly while Mac stroked her head.

"Now I've lost my best friend, my first Pokémon, _and_ I can't find a way in to this stupid place!" Drifblim was startled by her trainer's outburst, but realized exactly how she felt. She'd known what it felt like to be alone…

_The sky was dark, but that was no problem for the traveling group of Drifblim and Drifloon. A flash of lightning caused the group to panic and scatter. Team Galactic appeared out of nowhere and started capturing all the Pokémon they could get their hands on._

"_MOM!" the smallest Drifloon shrieked. Her mother turned terrified eyes to her daughter before being struck down by a Mightyena. A Galactic member stood tall and proud over the dead Pokémon at his feet. By the look of him, he was the leader watching the Pokémon scatter. The small Drifloon hid underneath several bushes and watched the bloody display. _

_Her family were captured, killed, or escaped. Not many made the third category. She shivered because of the cold and waited for a chance to escape. _

_Morning streamed through the branches surrounding the Pokémon. She floated upward and made her way away from the massacre that occurred that night. _

_After hours of flying, she collapsed in a soft area of grass. Unconsciousness flooded her vision and she could no longer fight the blackness…_

"_Is it alive?" A voice, a boy's voice. Drifloon opened her eyes to see dark eyes staring into her own. She shrieked and the boy stood up frightened. "__**You**__ try." A small, petite blond haired girl turned frightened blue eyes to the Pokémon. Drifloon's fear fled in an instant just staring at the little girl. Ghost energy radiated from the little girl and Drifloon reached out for her. She picked up the Pokémon and cuddled it to her chest._

"_You're cute." The girl said while Drifloon closed her eyes. "I'm Mac."_

Mac turned to Drifblim, tears lining her eyes, and the Pokémon held her.

"Thanks, Drifblim. It's just, why is life so hard?" The Pokémon shrugged and nuzzled her. A familiar shriek resounded through the grounds. Misdreavus appeared clutching two items.

"You found a key!" Mac exclaimed and Misdreavus set another item in her palm.

"A necklace?" there was a small topaz fitted in the clutches of two Dragonair. The two Pokémon were curled around each other with their mouths open. Inside both mouths a topaz was fitted. Realization dawned in her dark blue eyes.

"Seth!?" Mac turned to Misdreavus. He nodded. "Seth's here!?" Relief and hope flooded through her and she jabbed the key into the lock.

Mac and the two Pokémon burst into the room only to run into two grunts, both young and different genders. The boy had short, shaggy gray hair and brown eyes while the girl had a purple-ish tint to her hair with cold blue eyes.

Mac watched them.

"What do you want?" The girl asked uninterested chewing on a piece of gum. The boy nudged her with a glare.

"_That's_ the girl we're supposed to get rid of." He whispered. She shrugged.

"Whatever." She popped a bubble. The boy rolled his eyes and released a Zubat. The girl let out a Glameow.

"Misdreavus, use Confuse Ray on Zubat. Drifblim, use Stockpile." A light shone from the pink "necklace" around Misdreavus' neck and he launched it at the Zubat. The opponent Pokémon didn't have time to react.

"Zutzu, use Bite!" the confused Pokémon attacked, but bit the Glameow. The Glameow yelled out in pain as the Zubat continued to attack it.

In the meantime, Drifblim was storing energy with Stockpile.

"Use Spit Up." A large surplus of energy was thrown in the two opponent Pokémon's struggle.

"Finish it off with an Ominous Wind and a Psybeam." The air turned dark as Drifblim called forth dark energy and battered the opponent Pokémon around. Misdreavus loosed a beam of psychic energy into the fray and the two Pokémon fainted.

The boy looked at Mac with so much loathing it made her cringe away as he lifted the fainted Pokémon off the floor. The girl remained indifferent.

"How could you!" he yelled to her. "I worked so hard to protect my family with this Zubat, but now they'll take him away forever…" his expression of rage softened. He was young, too young to be a part of Team Galactic. He turned his warm brown eyes to her.

"We were just a distraction. Mars and the rest of the team have left already." He looked crestfallen as the girl walked away and left the fainted Glameow on the floor. Mac kneeled by him and he flinched at her touch. He continued cradling the fainted Pokémon.

"Team Galactic is evil—" Mac started, but the boy cut her off.

"I know."

"Then why are you helping them?" the boy was quiet and averted his eyes.

"My family is poor. They offered money to my family if I helped them. It's that simple." Mac shook her head.

"They steal Pokémon for money and sell them for outrageous prices. Judging by the fact that my missing friend was here, I'm guessing they're also the ones that kidnapped him. These people are bad news." The boy looked at her.

"They told me you were evil and trying to keep them from saving the earth." His brown eyes searched hers for any sign of malicious intent, but found nothing more than a kind, timid, teenage girl. "Judging by what they're known for, I'm guessing they were lying." Mac gave him a tiny smile.

"Thanks." She helped him stand up as he returned the Zubat to its pokéball. He saw the abandoned Glameow and returned it to a pokéball. He noticed Mac staring at him and shrugged.

"If Hillary doesn't want Missy, I'll take her." Mac guessed Missy was the Glameow's name. The boy hung his head.

"I'm sorry for attacking you…" he trailed off. Mac offered him another tiny smile.

"It's okay." She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards Florama. He watched her curiously.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking you to the Poké center." He gave her an incredulous look. "You have two injured Pokémon and I can never leave hurt Pokémon in trouble."

"Thanks…" she smiled again.

"Just, try not to attack me again." He chuckled.

"I'll try."


	7. Moving Forward

**Me: Next chappie! Sorry about forgetting to name the guy. I will now, though! Again, sorry about being so long. My lap top that I use for writing stories has like 30 viruses on it. I'm not gonna be able to use it from now on. Well, anyway, without further ado, I give you…**

**Kendal: CHAPTER 7!!!!!!!!**

**Me: What the he-eck are you doing here? We left you in chapter three! Now get!**

**Kendal: Yes, Ma'am. *mutters* bossy little story writer…**

**Me: I HEARD THAT!!!!!!**

**Kendal: *runs***

**Me: *chases***

**Mac: *shakes head* sorry 'bout that. *yelling in the distance, a loud bang, then a scream* Just, go on to the chapter. Sorry to have bothered you…**

* * *

The boy watched Mac curiously through strands of silver hair. She nervously handed his Pokémon over to Nurse Joy, hiding behind her blond hair. Her blue eyes met his brown ones, and he looked down, embarrassed.

"I never introduced myself." She said. He looked up at her. "I'm Mac."

"Damian, but I go Dusty." Mac nodded at Dusty and gave him a hesitant smile.

"Nice to meet you." The two sat down in the Poké Center to wait for Dusty's Pokémon to heal. They started a simple conversation that focused on hometowns.

"I lived just outside of Solaceon Town on a small farm raising Pokémon. I had three siblings: two younger brothers and a younger sister. My parents worked hard, but we needed money to support us. While my brothers were too young to begin working for them and me being the oldest, they offered me a job to work for them. They said I'd be paid handsomely." Dusty explained. Mac sat quietly and listened. He looked down at his off world attire. "I really hate this creepy suit. Do you mind waiting for my Pokémon while I go buy some new clothes?" Mac smiled warmly and nodded. She could handle being alone; she was always alone.

Dusty stood and made his way out of the Poké Center. He turned to wave at her and then was gone. Several minutes went by and Nurse Joy called her up to her desk.

"Your friend's Pokémon are restored to full health." Mac took the Pokémon from her. "Have a good day!" Mac nodded and returned to her seat. Not too long after, Dusty rushed in. His unflattering silver and blue spacesuit had been replaced with baggy jeans and a tight white t-shirt showing a toned chest. Out of the unusual attire, Dusty looked much older than he did before.

"Um, Dusty?" he looked down at her (He towered several inches above the petite blond). "How old are you?"

"Sixteen." Mac nodded and averted her eyes to hide the blush on her cheeks.

"Oh." Silence filled the area. "I'm fourteen." He nodded and kept his eyes trained on her.

"Hey, Mac, what are you going to do now?" Mac shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm supposed to capture some legendary Pokémon to save my best friend, but I don't think me and my Pokémon can do it alone anymore. I mean, judging by how hard it is to find info or even tangible evidence of where it could possibly be. "

"Let me come with you." Mac looked at him and he smiled. "Let me get stronger Pokémon though. I have this Zubat so that Team Galactic wouldn't want the ones I already have." Mac tilted her head to the side, but nodded. When he returned from the PC, he was carrying three more pokéballs. He released a Houndoom, Glaceon, and Feraligatr.

"This is Flames, Glacier, and Cobalt." He motioned towards his Pokémon. The Houndoom, Flames, approached her and set his head on her knees. She stared at the large, dog-like, dark/fire Pokémon in fright. Dusty chuckled. "I guess he likes you."

"Um, I seem to uh, a-attract dark or g-ghost type Pokémon." Dusty sat next to her and patted the Pokémon's dark head.

"I see. I think that's," he struggled to find the right word, "cute." He settled with. Mac's face heated up and she averted her eyes again to keep him from noticing.

"Um, t-thanks." She stuttered. Silence befell the duo and Misdreavus appeared out of his pokéball due to his trainer's nervousness and embarrassment. He shrieked and landed on Mac's head. She stroked his head and stood up.

"We should probably start heading towards the next town. We might find someone who can help us find out more about this 'Darkrai'." Mac said slinging on her pack. She'd already explained the situation to Dusty.

"Are you sure you want me traveling with you?" he asked staring at the floor. "I mean, I did attack you and I'm a former Team Galactic Grunt." Mac smiled at him.

"You have goodness in your heart. I can feel the aura around you. You love your family and love Pokémon. I can trust you." She turned and headed out the door. "Besides, it would be nice for a strong man to protect me along the way." She returned Misdreavus to his pokéball and let out Duskull. A low, affectionate rumble sounded from his throat when he saw Mac, but he immediately went off to cause mischief among Dusty's Pokémon. Mac shook her head. "That Duskull…" her pokéteck beeped indicating someone was trying to reach her. The blond Wendy and red head Mandy's faces appeared on the screen.

"Have you rescued him yet?" Wendy asked worriedly. Mac shook her head.

"No, I'm still working on it. Any new info?"

"Apparently it's impossible to catch. You're on a fools' chase. No pokéball can contain it and it's seldom seen outside a dream." Mac gritted her teeth and nodded.

"Okay. I won't give up though. I _need_ to save him. I need _him_." She blinked back tears and closed off the screen. Dusty listened quietly to the brief exchange and grabbed her wrist. He gently tugged her along to the path that lead to Eterna Forest, then Eterna City. She stared at him in curiosity.

"Where are we going?" She asked. His warm brown eyes met her sparkling blue ones, fresh with new tears.

"Forward. If we're going to find Darkrai, we need to keep working towards that goal. Going forward is the only way to save your friend." Mac smiled at his words and wiped away the tears being affected by gravity.

"Thanks, Dusty."

The two companions made their way through the rocky path and stopped at the shore of a small pond. They sat down to eat lunch when Mac noticed a girl being carried over to them on a large blue Pokémon: a Gyarados. Mac almost instantly recognized the short brown hair, bobbed at the edges, milky brown eyes, frayed denim shorts, and Gyarados themes t-shirt.

Mac inhaled sharply and yelled in surprise, "Kendal!?" the girl smiled and waved.

"Howdy!" she flashed Mac and Dusty a toothy grin. "What ya'll been up to? I was lookin' fer ya. Think I gotta lead on this 'Darkrai' character."


	8. Such Thing as Ghosts?

**Whoop! Fast updates! I feel bad for dropping off the face of the earth, so here is another chapter. ENJOY!!!!!  
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Mac stared openmouthed at Kendal for a moment before coming to her senses. "Y-y-you d-did?" she managed out. Kendal nodded vigorously.

"Yup."

"Why didn't you just contact me via pokéteck?" she asked the country girl. Kendal smiled at Mac sheepishly.

"He he, well, I don't have the waterproof version yet. It kinda, ya know, drowned." She chuckled nervously and returned Gyna to her pokéball. "Anyway, what I came here for: a little boy has been trapped in a nightmare for three whole days in Veilstone City. From what I heard he's been muttering 'Darkrai' in his sleep."

Mac opened and closed her mouth in surprise. "R-really?" she choked out. Kendal nodded.

"Really." Kendal stared at Mac, a serious expression on her face.

"That's great!" Dusty exclaimed. "If there's someone trapped in a nightmare, we can investigate the area for Darkrai." Mac nodded at the two teens on either side of her.

"Alright. You coming too, Kendal?" Kendal shook her head.

"Na, I got other things ta do. Happy ta help!" she took off running in the opposite direction. Mac and Dusty looked at each other and shrugged. They'd be fine without her anyway. The duo made their way onward to Eterna Forest. Who knows what would befall them there?

Despite all the hype about it being dark and mysterious, Eterna Forest was full of lush scenery and young, happy Pokémon slitting around. Mac shrugged. Never judge a book by its cover. _She_ never did…

"_Get lost you evil creature!" a little girl yelled as a Ghastly floated about the school. Her face fell as the girl screamed in fright. Even though her brothers and sisters enjoyed scaring people, this Ghastly was not one for that. She wanted to meet a nice trainer that would take her out on adventures, but everywhere she went, children would flee in fright. _

_There wasn't anyone that loved Ghost pokémon around here either._

"_She's not evil!" Ghastly turned to see a boy with dark hair and a girl with cascading blond hair in her eyes standing behind him. "She's a ghost Pokémon. Leave her alone!" Ghastly couldn't help but feel an attraction towards the blue-eyed, blond haired girl and the dark haired boy. _

"_Y-yeah," the blue-eyed girl said, "She's really, um, cool." The girl that screamed from before just ran off in the other direction._

"_Humph. You're both freaks." The girl shrieking from before yelled without looking behind her. Ghastly turned to her rescuers. They weren't much older than eleven. In a flash, the dark haired boy had thrown a pokéball at the Ghastly and captured it. For some odd reason, Ghastly wasn't afraid. She _wanted _to be captured. Maybe he'd be a nice trainer… _

"_When I get her strong enough, I'll battle against your ghost Pokémon. Then we'll see who's better!" the boy exclaimed grabbing the timid girl's hand. He pulled her along. "Let's go eat something. I'm starved." _

_A year later, Seth traded Mac the Ghastly for a Sneasel. They both evolved into their next form after trading. That battle never did commence… _

Dusty glanced at Mac through the corner of his eye. Duskull was following her and mimicking her, creating roaring laughter from the three Pokémon following closely behind. Dusky chuckled. Mac gave him a weird look and when she turned it caused her hair to move out of her face. For the first time since the two met he saw her face. She was beautiful, and Dusty wondered why she would hide from the world. Guys would probably drool all over her if she just pulled her bangs out of her face and uncovered those beautiful crystal blue orbs.

"Whatcha staring at?" she asked quietly, almost a whisper so Dusty had to crane his neck to hear better.

"I was just thinking you must get a really weird tan on your face." She burst into laughter, startling Duskull. It was the first time he'd heard anything more than a simple, quiet chuckle. Mac didn't seem like the type to really laugh. She blushed and turned away.

"Well, I don't normally sit in the sun." Dusty nodded at her comment. That made sense. A comfortable silence followed. Mac was used to silence. She never did talk much, unless she was around Seth and/or Mandy and Wendy. And she never, and I mean _never_ laughed in front of people she met an hour or so ago. Dusty was affecting her and she didn't know why. He seamed so young and defenseless when she met him at Valley Windworks, but after regaining his confidence he was stronger and ready to take on the world. She had always imagined her life with Seth as the one guy to fill the hole in her chest and be there for her when she needed him, but maybe Seth wasn't the one she was ever _in _love with. She thought she was, but there were more people out there him. Dusty was a fine example…

Mac blushed and shook her head to clear it. What was she thinking? She just met the guy and he attacked her on top of it! She shouldn't be—

"You want to stop for dinner?" Dusty asked. Mac opened her mouth to say no, but then her stomach growled. She smiled at Dusty sheepishly.

"Um, s-sure." They stopped outside a large mansion that seemed to be abandoned. Mac tilted her head to the side when she heard a loud Pokémon call, one she was unfamiliar with. Dusty looked up at the large house and then at Mac. He smiled.

"Want to go check it out?"

"N-not r-really." Mac stuttered. Dusty smirked at her.

"So the girl who loves ghost Pokémon, is afraid to go into a house infested with ghost Pokémon?" Mac gave him a sour look.

"… Fine." Mac followed closely behind Dusty as they hopped the fence and made their way inside. Duskull followed Mac cautiously and Dusty's Pokémon were returned to their pokéballs. The two teens peeked through a broken, purple, stain glass window. The mansion was dark and the only light was flickering from the second floor. Mac smiled slightly at Dusty before climbing through the window. He followed soon after.

"You sure you're okay with this?" Dusty asked, "I mean, it IS a haunted house."

Mac nodded her head. "Like you said, I love ghost Pokémon."

Dusty smiled and it only grew bigger as he followed her into the back room. "You seem awfully brave, Mac." Her eyes shifted to him. "You seem so timid and scared, but you're really actually a brave person." He chuckled. "Who would have thought…?"

A shadow passed through the room commanding Mac's attention. She squinted in the dark. A figure of a man, a butler, _floated_ across the room and the teens about had a heart attack. It couldn't be a real ghost, could it? Mac, overwhelmed by curiosity and not about to voice her fears to Dusty, began to follow the fading ghost. Dusty followed silently, not sure about what he should be doing. There was no such thing as ghosts anyway, right?

But, maybe it _was_ a real ghost. Ghost Pokémon existed, so why not ghost people?

The "ghost" went into a kitchen area and Mac followed. Dusty, who had been lagging behind, struggled to catch up, but when he reached the old dilapidated kitchen, there was no Mac, just an old man in a butler's suit. He was somewhat transparent and his feet didn't touch the ground. He was just hovering over the broken tile.

"Who are you, and what are you doing in the young master's house?"


	9. Her Heaven, Our Hell

**Thanks ever so much for sticking with me. There's still lots more to come, so don't be too cross with me!**

**---------------------------------On To The Story-----------------------------------------**

_Dusty, who had been lagging behind, struggled to catch up, but when he reached the old dilapidated kitchen, there was no Mac, just an old man in a butler's suit. He was somewhat transparent and his feet didn't touch the ground. He was just hovering over the broken tile._

"_Who are you, and what are you doing in the young master's house?"_

Dusty didn't know what to do. He stood there open mouthed at the ghost. His face switched from confusion to impatience.

"Do you care to tell me?" he demanded. "Any day now would be helpful."

"Um, w-well," Dusty stammered out, "my friend and I were, uh, exploring. W-we didn't r-realize someone w-was here. S-sorry." The butler nodded curtly before beginning to fade. "Wait!" Dusty yelled. The butler returned and looked at him expectantly. "W-where's m-my friend?"

The butler shook his head. "There wasn't anyone else here but you when I arrived." He stopped and thought for a moment. "You may want to talk to the young mistress on the second floor. She enjoys pranking the living that come here." He was gone in an instant and Dusty wasn't sure what to do. That was a _real_ ghost he'd talked to moments ago.

"_Right, the second floor,"_ he thought, _"That's where I should look for Mac."_ The stairs weren't difficult to find; they were just outside the dining room. Dusty climbed cautiously for every other step creaked in protest. The same call that Mac and he heard that started this little adventure sounded again. It was coming from upstairs. A girl's scream was also heard and fearing it was Mac, Dusty began to run. A little girl's giggles followed soon after.

Panting, Dusty wrenched open the door where the scream came from. Sure enough, it was Mac, but a little translucent girl was there also. She had short dark brown hair with violet eyes and was wearing a cute pink and yellow dress. She looked over at Dusty and her already big smile grew larger.

"Ooh! Another play thing!" she shouted clapping her hands together happily. A small orange Pokémon appeared. It had a wide smile, much like the girls, with green lightning bolts surrounding it and crystal blue eyes, much like Mac's. "Rotom," she said to the Pokémon, "make sure neither one of them escapes." The Pokémon trapped Dusty and Mac in a shield of green electricity. The girl laughed manically. "Yeah! We'll play dress up next, then have a tea party!" she disappeared leaving the Pokémon in charge.

"H-hey." Mac said smiling sheepishly at Dusty. "She w-was, um, 'playing' a game with me. She wanted to see if she could drop me and then see how close to the ground she'd let me fall 'till she caught me." Dusty nodded.

"I ran into this butler ghost."

"What did he want?"

"Just to know why I was here. He didn't see you." Dusty quieted for a moment. "How do you think they died?"

Before Mac could respond, the little girl cut in.

"A disease that wasn't normal struck us. Mommy died first, then Daddy. I don't know if Alfonse or I went next…" she was holding a dress and a suit, her face somber and her shoulders hunched. A moment or so later, her eyes brightened. "But, now I have a new Mommy and Daddy! I'll be back with Alfonse to show you to him." She smiled. "We'll play together _forever_!" then she was gone.

A glint of gold caught Mac's eye and she stooped down to see what it was. It was a gold locket, broken somewhat and refused to close. Inside was a photograph of a smiling woman with long blond hair and light blue eyes, much similar, besides the face, to Mac. A photo of an expressionless man with gray-ish hair and violet eyes was in the other. He looked much like Dusty, but, also, the face was different and so were their eyes. Mac tapped Dusty and showed it to him.

"We look like them, so she's going to keep us." Mac said. Just then, Alfonse, the butler, and the little girl appeared.

"Hey, Mommy! Hey, Daddy!" she cried out happily. Alfonse shot them sympathetic looks. "Let's play now!"

**----------BREAK--------------**

"More tea, Mommy?"

Nevaeh, the little girl, had dressed up Mac in a flowing blue gown with her hair pulled out of her face and exposing her blue eyes. Dusty was in a stiff black sit with his hair combed back. Mac shook her head no and took a sip of the "tea" which was really just water from the small brook outside. The table they sat at was in Nevaeh's room covered by a white table cloth and cracked plates, cups, and forks. Alfonse stood, rather _floated_, at the door supervising. He shot another sympathetic glance their way.

"Just play along. In a year or two she'll grow bored and you'll be able to go on your way." Mac spluttered out her drink and Dusty's cup halted in front of his mouth.

"P-please, kind Sir," Mac said composing herself, "my friend has been kidnapped and I need to get to him as soon as possible and also find a very important legendary Pokémon." Alfonse shrugged.

"I dare not go against the young mistress."

Mac sighed in vain. Her Pokémon had been taken away, as had Dusty's, so there wasn't anyway to sneak out. Rotom was guarding their Pokémon still inside their pokéballs.

"Nevaeh," Mac called gently, "we need to go home now. We're on an important mission. _Please_ give us back our Pokémon and let s leave peacefully."

Nevaeh shook her head stubbornly. "NO!" she cried, "You're staying with me forever! Mommy and Daddy left, so I need new parents." She sniffled. "You're _never_ _leaving me!_"

**--------------BREAK------------------**

Jupiter paced the floor impatiently. The search for Darkrai was taking far too long. They needed him _soon,_ and by the looks of it, they were _way_ behind schedule. Banging from the cage in the room resumed and she sighed impatiently.

"_Stop_ banging around in there." Jupiter ordered, "If your friend finds you all damaged, her true power may overload and kill us all." The cage quieted.

"What 'true power' are you talking about?" Seth asked. Jupiter smirked.

"Oh, you'd like to know." She paused for a minute before continuing. "All that you need to know is the combined power she and Darkrai produce will be all the power we need for creating our own universe, destroying this one of course."


	10. Hey, Rotom

**Sorry I haven't updated in forever again. My summer's been packed tightly. I hope to get in at least one more chapter before school starts. I'm getting my laptop back later this evening (it had like 30 viruses) so that might help with the faster updates. Anyway, enjoy the next chapter and PLEASE review! The button doesn't bite, I promise.**

* * *

It had been three days since Dusty and Mac had arrived at the haunted mansion, four days since Mac and Dusty met, and five days since Seth was kidnapped with the ransom being Darkrai. The two teens trapped inside the house had grown closer and struggled with the plans for an escape attempted. All of them, so far, had been in vain. The sneaky little Pokémon Rotom seemed to foil every single one.

"It seems immune to your powers." Dusty teased. Mac gave him a small, sad smile, her eyes brimming with tears. Nevaeh had been nice to them, but she was stubborn, bratty, and not about to let her new playthings escape her grasp. Dusty looked at her and smiled apologetically.

"I'm sorry; I was only trying to lighten the mood." Dusty apologized. Mac nodded, but her eyes were distant. She was removing herself from this world and placing herself in one that didn't consist of ghosts, missing best friends, and searches for legendary Pokémon.

"I'll never see him again…" she whispered. A single tear slid down her face at the thought. Mac could feel her chest tightening and it felt as if she had swallowed a lump of clay, but she continued to hold the tears in.

"Okay, Mommy and Daddy, today we're— what's wrong with Mommy!" Nevaeh's voice changed from happy to terrified in two seconds. Dusty glared at her.

"Because you're holding us here against our will!" he shouted. Nevaeh flinched away. "She's upset and crying because you're keeping her from saving someone she cares deeply for! It's, it's evil what you're doing. We _don't_ _want to be here!_ We're on a mission and because of your stupid obsession with ruining humans' lives, we won't complete it! Can't you tell that we don't even like you!" Dusty was practically foaming at the mouth and more tears fell from Mac's eyes. "We're starving and thirsty. You've kept us here for three whole days. Now that you've had your fun LET US GO!"

Nevaeh gave them a pouty look and burst into tears. She covered her eyes and then after a few minutes glared at them through her fingers.

"You're so mean to me!" she yelled in anger. "Now you'll never leave! I _was_ going to let you go in a few years, but now, _you're no longer my parents! You're now going to serve me as slaves until you die!"_ she was gone in an instant and Rotom appeared in her place.

"Rotom…" Mac called to it. Rotom hesitantly moved towards her and Mac reached her hand out to him. "_Please_ take me to Nevaeh. I need to talk to her."

The Pokémon hesitantly contemplated its decision before disappearing with Mac. Dusty, left behind, simply sat down and waited.

"Maybe it wasn't immune at all…" he mused.

**-BREAK-**

Nevaeh sat on a torn up and dusty bed, her arms crossed over her chest, and pouting. Rotom appeared in her room, and she smiled until she noticed Mac next to the Pokémon.

"What is _SHE _doing here!" Nevaeh demanded. Rotom let out a low cry and began backing away from the furious ghost. Mac lifted her hands in surrender, trying to pacify the girl.

"Nevaeh, you're dead." Mac stated slowly. The ghost girl watched her carefully.

"So? What's your point?" Nevaeh demanded angrily, crossing her arms over her chest again.

"My point is, you already have a mommy and daddy. They're waiting for you in Heaven."

Nevaeh didn't say anything, so Mac took that as an OK to continue.

"You don't have to stay here, you know? Heaven is waiting, and there's a special place prepared for you. You're mommy and daddy never wanted to leave you here alone, so why don't you go and join them? They're waiting for you, sweetheart." Mac's quiet voice still managed to carry over the large room and Nevaeh felt something inside her tell her to listen to Mac. "Your name is Nevaeh. Did you know that that's Heaven spelled backwards?"

Tears filled Nevaeh's eyes as realization hit her.

"You're right." She cried, rushing into Mac's open arms and somehow not fazing through the solid, human girl. "My mommy and daddy are waiting for me. I'm sorry." Mac stroked the girl's hair and she began to dissolve into hundreds of small, twinkling particles.

"Thank you, Mac."

Dusty materialized in Mac's arms, and a soft glow disappeared revealing their pokéballs with Pokémon inside. The two teens stayed in each others embrace a moment longer before pulling away and grabbing their belts. Rotom floated quietly in the corner. Mac turned blue eyes to the electric/ghost Pokémon. She smiled and beckoned it closer. The Rotom hesitantly floated over and allowed Mac to caress its head.

"Would you like to come with us?" Mac asked. The Pokémon nodded and turned blue eyes to Dusty. He approached the Pokémon warily, and Rotom jumped into Dusty's arms electrocuting the teen in the process. Mac stifled her giggles and had to cover her mouth to succeed. Dusty, his dusty gray hair standing up due to the electric shock, glared at her.

"You think this is funny?" he demanded angrily. Mac nodded, letting her laughter spill forth.

"Y-yeah!" she managed out between giggles. Dusty smoothed his hair down and continued glaring at Mac. "You should catch it, since it likes you so much." Mac said. Dusty gave her a long, hard look before pulling out a pokéball and tossing it at the wild Pokémon. Three shakes and a click later, Rotom was on Dusty's team. Electricity still crackled around his body, making Mac continue giggling.

"It's really not that funny." Dusty argued, trying to flatten his static-y hair. Mac only continued to giggle. Rotom came out of its pokéball and floated above Dusty's head which caused the hair to stand straight up towards the electric ghost Pokémon. Mac couldn't help the full out laughter that escaped her lips. She had to stop walking she was laughing so hard. Dusty shook his head in exasperation, but couldn't help joining in with her contagious laughter.

"I will never be able to fully comprehend you, ghost girl." Dusty said with a smirk, helping the petite blond to her feet. "Let's get going before it gets too dark outside for walking."

The two teens hurried the rest of the way out of Eterna Forest and into the town. Misdreavus and Rotom followed closely behind them.

If one were to look closely at the old decrepit mansion, they would have seen the butler watching from the upstairs window. He smiled and began to dissolve into thin air the same way Nevaeh had minutes prior.

"Thank you, Mac. You are a truly gifted child." He said. He cast one more look towards her before disappearing completely. "I hope you find what you're looking for…"

A large black colored Pokémon with crystal blue eyes (much like Mac's) and snow white fringe adorning its head watched the boy and girl. Its projected body wavered before disappearing entirely. Mac stopped walking, turned to look behind her, but when she didn't see anything, she turned back around and linked arms with Dusty.

"Something wrong?" he asked in confusion. Mac shook her head.

"No, I just thought something was watching us."


	11. Duskull

**Yay! Mac and Dusty have finally escaped! Hopefully they can reach the poor boy still in a nightmare. (Forgot about him, didn't ya?)**

**By the way, if any of you are bored an in need of another story to read, check out my other story**_**A Multifarious Conundrum**_**. That would TOTALLY make my day. It follows the game FireRed with the main character being Leaf. I renamed her Macie though, and her starter Pokémon is Blaster, a male Squirtle. Check it out if you have time!**

**BTW, the game at the beginning is called "Topic". You and a partner come up with a topic, in this case it's Pokémon, and then one person says the name of an item that pertains to the topic. The next person has to come up with the name of an item also in the topic, but the starting letter has to be the last letter of the previous word.**

"Houndoom."

"Misdreavus."

"Starly."

Dusty stopped to think for a minute before clenching his hands into fists and smacking his forehead with an open palm.

"Dang it, Mac! How come you're so good at this game?" Dusty asked, at a loss for a Pokémon name that started with "Y". Mac giggled and smiled up at him through strands of her hair.

"Seth taught it to me. We used to play it on our way to the library or on the boat that was headed for Iron Island." Mac said, trying to keep from crying at the thought of Seth. Surprisingly, she managed to swallow that lump of clay and smile at Dusty. The two teens had become great friends during their time as prisoners in the Old Chateau and traveling through Eterna City. They had stopped last night at the pokécenter and this morning, they were up and headed for Celestic Town. Dusty shook his head and pulled out a map.

"Hmmm… it looks like we'll have to cross through a small section of Mt. Coronet on our way through to Celestic Town." He said as he put the map away. Mac nodded and Misdreavus sat on top of her head, mad at the fact he couldn't do that for three days. (It was during the time Mac and Dusty were prisoners at the old Chateau). Mac had the rest of her Pokémon out and enjoying the scenery because of the fact that they had been stuck inside their pokéballs for so long.

Shuppet was floating next to Mac, snuggled up to her shoulder, Haunter was floating directly behind her, Duskull was annoying Murkrow (like usual), and Drifblim took up the rear of the ghostly parade.

"Murk, murk!" Murkrow squawked angrily as Duskull pulled out one of his feathers. Mac turned to see what was going on. Murkrow lifted a wing and pointed to Duskull. He was holding the loose feather and looking up at Mac with sheepish red eyes.

"Duskull, let's _not _annoy poor Murkrow right now. I know how much fun it is, but I think you're going to give him a heart attack."

Duskull nodded and held the feather out to Murkrow. He took it, glaring daggers at the floating skull Pokémon. Murkrow placed the feather back in his wing and Duskull tried to keep from laughing. The poor bird flew over to Mac and sat on her unoccupied shoulder. Mac reached up a hand to stoke his feathers and he leaned into her touch.

"You know, if you evolved, Duskull would leave you alone."

Murkrow pulled away from Mac, gave her an angry glare, and flew off her shoulder to land on top of Drifblim. Mac shook her head and chuckled.

"What's the matter with him?" Dusty asked. Bewilderment was clear on his face. Mac shrugged.

"He's completely opposed to evolving into his next form. He thinks it's girly and almost bit my finger off when I showed him the Dusk stone I had." She giggled again. "I'm always trying to change his mind and that happens."

Dusty nodded and looked behind him at the seething Murkrow. Murkrow was probably venting his feelings to the bored Drifblim.

Mac became lost in her thoughts again when she saw the sulking Duskull. He lived to tease people and Pokémon, but whenever he had no one to tease, he'd retreat into himself and become quite unapproachable. Mac smiled sadly as she saw the crack on the side of his "skull" near the left eye hole. She remembered that day clearly…

"_Gosh, you stupid, worthless Pokémon!" A man with brown hair and green eyes yelled angrily at the small Duskull. He retreated as far as he could into the shadows. "You're so useless, I could scream! Just __**hit **__the target for Arceus' sake!" _

_Duskull created a small ball of ghostly energy and shakily tossed it at the target of a Starly. It missed entirely. The man groaned and smacked his forehead angrily. _

"_Can you be any more worthless!" he yelled. He reeled back his fist and punched the unsuspecting Pokémon in the head. Duskull felt dizzy and crashed to the floor, unconscious. The last he remembered was a little girl's scream._

—

_Mac had been trying to find a place to live with Murkrow and Misdreavus because she had just found out that her parents were lost at sea. Murkrow was seated on her left shoulder and Misdreavus was on top of her head. Yelling had gotten there the girl and her Pokémon's attention and they went to investigate. They came upon a man yelling into the shadows, but upon closer inspection, Mac saw a cowering Duskull. She remained hidden until the man struck the poor defenseless Pokémon. She couldn't help but scream._

_The man turned to her direction and pulled her out of her hiding place. _

"_What do you think you're doing?" he snarled. Mac, frozen in fear, only struggled slightly to get out of his iron grasp. "Do you know what I do to people with roaming eyes?" Mac, no older then ten, fell completely limp. Tears flowed from her eyes as she closed them. She had just lost her parents, and now she was going to die here._

"_Staravia, use gust!" a boy's voice called. A large gray bird flapped its wings and sent a powerful gust of wind towards the man. It hit him, knocking Mac out of his grasp. "Now use peck!" _

_The bird Pokémon began to viciously attack the man until he ran off covering his wounds. _

"_Return!" he yelled. The bird returned the boy's awaiting pokéball. He turned to look at Mac. He was not much older than her with dark eyes and black hair. He had a gold bar earring and was dressed in dark jeans and a tight black t-shirt. _

"_Are you okay?" he asked and offered her a hand. Mac nodded, taking his hand. He helped her up and stay on her feet. "I'm Seth by the way."_

"_Mac." _

_She stumbled over to the unconscious Pokémon and lifted him into her lap. She traced the crack in his mask gently as the Pokémon groggily opened his eyes. _

"_A-are you okay?" she asked. Seth knelt by her side to peer at the Pokémon. Duskull nodded slowly. "Let's get you some help." _

"_Canalave is just over here. There's a pokécenter there that can heal him for you." Seth said. Mac followed carrying Duskull with Misdreavus and Murkrow following closely behind. _

_Not too long after that incident, Duskull joined Mac's team and she and Seth became best friends._

Duskull lifted his head when he realized Mac was looking at him. She smiled at him and he came up next to her. He laid his head against her left leg and the two red orbs in his skull faded. He closed his eyes in other words. Murkrow, clearly done venting his feelings, flew over to Duskull. He nuzzled the ghost Pokémon with his beak and gave him a reassuring nod. Duskull's eyes brightened and he followed the bird Pokémon behind Mac to do Arceus knows what.

Mac smiled. At the pokécenter after rescuing Duskull, Murkrow and he had become really close. Duskull always teased him and Murkrow may get agitated too easily, but deep down, the two's bond could never be truly broken.


	12. What the Heck

**And… CUE MAC AND DUSTY! At the moment I'm in a dilemma. I CANNOT chose which pairing I like better, Mac/Seth or Mac/ Dusty. I would totally appreciate it if I could get your input. I know you haven't seen much of Seth, but Work with me here. I have the ending mapped out, except the small problem between which boy Mac ends up with. I'm hoping to clock this out at around 20 chapters, maybe 30, then start the sequel. BUT I NEED TO DECIDE BEFORE THEN ON WHICH GUY WILL BE, well, I can't say anymore or risk blowing the ending. Just, give me your input and you will be rewarded. :)**

**BTW, there is Mac/Dusty fluff in this chapter, and some Mac/Seth (through flashbacks) in the next. **

**YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!**

"You go in first."

"No, I think you should."

"Seriously, I don't mind going in after you."

"That's okay. Go on ahead."

"Ever heard of the saying 'ladies first'?"

"Yeah, so what does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything! Just, go in first so I can, er, protect you from behind."

"And my front?"

"…"

"Know what? Don't answer that."

Mac sighed loudly as she faced the opening of the tunnel. She gulped nervously and closed her eyes as she took a step inside.

"I am ri-ight behind you." Dusty drew out the "i" as he followed closely behind the blond. She rolled her eyes, knowing he was completely freaked out about entering the tunnel. Not that she could talk… Neither of them had ever been through a mountain, and both had no idea about what to expect. Misdreavus popped out of his pokéball and sat (floated?) on top of Mac's head. He enjoyed the dark and was counting on taking a nice loooong nap on his trainer's head. Flames, the Houndoom, walked stiffly by his trainer's side as the two teens made their way, ever so slowly, through Mt. Coronet.

Something flew past them and Dusty jumped. "W-what was t-that?" he stuttered. He didn't like the dark while Mac had adjusted quite quickly.

"A Zubat." She said with a wave of her hand. "You have one don't you? I thought you'd know their habits better."

"Yeah, but I haven't had him for long. Zutzu was only a cover Pokémon so my other ones weren't stripped away from me. 'I thought you'd know that'." he taunted back. Mac turned to him with a small smile playing on her lips.

"I did."

Dusty couldn't help the blush that surfaced, but was thankful for the dark to mask it.

He just didn't know Mac had amazing sight in darkness.

'_He's cute when he blushes…' _she thought to herself, a smile playing on her lips.

—**BREAK—**

After a while of walking in silence, Mac caught sight of another human being inside the tunnel. He had blue-ish hair and was staring off into space. When he heard them approaching, he turned around. His piercing gaze made Mac shiver despite the warm atmosphere of the cave. A Cleffa cried in the distance…

"What is life?" he asked spontaneously.

"Uh…" Dusty couldn't form an answer and neither could his female companion.

"Why do we humans pollute a world that was given to us? Why have we no sense of what is right or wrong? Our earth is dying, and no one is to blame but ourselves…"

Mac and Dusty looked at each other. He was just another insane environmentalist. Whatever, no big deal.

"But,"

Apparently Crazy wasn't done talking.

"I have a vision. One that can create a better place for humans; a home that we will take care of with our own hands. Pokémon will work beside us and help preserve this land so nothing ever happens to it…"

He smiled at them.

"You have a strong aura about you; I can feel it." He said pointedly to Mac. "Good luck on your journey, Mac."

And with that he was gone.

"W-wait, how did you know my name!" Mac called after him. He never turned around or said another word. Something was off about that guy, and Mac couldn't help but feel that he knew something vital to her quest in saving Seth. Dusty grabbed her hand and gently tugged her further. He could see the exit and desperately wanted out.

"It's nothing, Mac; just a lucky guess. Let's go." He urged. Mac blushed at their intertwined hands and her brain stopped functioning altogether. Her palms felt sweaty and her face heated up.

'_What's wrong with me…?'_ she asked herself. _'I've never felt this way before. It's just Dusty."_

Mac stumbled and fell into Dusty a few inches in front of her. He turned in time to catch her, but fell down against the hard ground underneath her. His milky brown eyes widened as her head landed on his chest. She tentatively moved so they were face to face. Dusty snaked his arms around the blonde's waist and Mac placed both her hands on either side of his head to steady herself. Her cerulean orbs bored into his and Dusty felt a magnetic attraction pulling him to her.

"Mac..." he whispered hoarsely. She blushed furiously and chewed on her lower lip. Glancing swiftly around, she realized no one was there. _'What the heck.'_ She thought before crashing her mouth against his.

She'd never kissed anyone before; she didn't know what it felt like, or even how it would taste. Dusty, surprised at her boldness went rigid underneath her, but fell into the rhythm not long after that. His arms pulled her closer to his chest and her hands moved from their position on either side of his head and into his locks of silver-gray hair.

"Dusty, I—" she couldn't finish her sentence as one of his hands came to pull her head down once again. The blush came back, fierce as ever. Not that he could see it…

Breathing hard, Mac finally came to her senses and gently unlocked her lips from his. She was completely mortified; she had just _made out_ with Dusty. Dusty! She had known him for a week tops and here she was, way out of her comfort zone, _kissing him!_ Her teeth came back to chew her lower lip as she stood up.

"D-dusty, I-I'm so s-sorry. I-I really don't know w-what came over m-me." She stuttered. Dusty stood, a hand making its way into his hair. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously and let out a chuckle, his breath still slightly ragged.

"Um, well, i-it was kinda my fault t-too…"

The two teens proceeded to leave the cave without saying another word to each other.

'_Smart, Mac.'_ She scolded, _'You just _had_ to go and make everything awkward. Smo-ooth.' _

Misdreavus and Flames were right behind their trainers, confused at what had just occurred. The small ghost looked to the large fire-type wolf, and they both sighed.

Humans were so complicated.

Mac, still chewing on her lower lip, began to twirl a strand of hair between her fingers. She just _couldn't _get that kiss out of her mind. What made her do it? She didn't know. It _definitely _wasn't Mac-like. A blush was still prominent on her face and as she looked at the back of Dusty's head, only one thought came to mind:

He tasted like cinnamon.


	13. Seth

**Aw, how cute. Mac and Dusty kiss… NOW it is time for, THE AWAITED MAC AND SETH SCENE! (or whatever) Thank you to all my faithful reviewers. I REALLY appreciate it. I know there's not much Pokémon battling in the story, but that's because I suck at it. This is mostly made up of flashbacks with a Dusty centered third person stream of consciousness at the beginning. It'll be kinda boring, so if you don't want to read some of Mac's past, go ahead and skip this chapter. Besides that, enjoy the story! It'll be much more lengthy that my other chapters.**

**PS- If you're skipping this chapter, at least read the Dusty part. I really like how it turned out, so PLEASE humor me?**

* * *

Dusty could feel her watching the back of his head; it was nerve-racking. Yeah, Mac was hot and he had just possibly had the most amazing kiss in the _history _of kisses, but what was this feeling? All he could think of was her soft, warm lips moving against hi—

Gah! There it goes again! He was seriously getting frustrated. He couldn't figure the ghost girl out. She was so _confusing! _

Coconut. She tasted like coconut and sugar. She tasted, sweet.

Ugh! He shook his head to clear it. She didn't feel the same way about him, so why should he make a big deal out of this? It was a … spur of the moment type thing. That's it. Nothing more. Nadda, zip, nothing. _Absolutely _nothing.

_Then why won't you let go of that image, then?_ The small voice in the back of his mind asked. _You care about her, don't deny it!_

Dusty had to bite his tongue to keep from screaming in frustration. She was a _friend._ Just a _friend._

_A hot friend that just kissed you. You didn't make the first move, _she_ did._

That might have been true, but—

When Dusty looked up, he noticed Celestic Town come into view. He felt relief flood through him at the thought of resting in a nice warm bed. They checked out separate rooms and Dusty fell asleep instantaneously. Mac, on the other hand, couldn't keep her mind off of the two boys now crowding the space of her life.

She loved Seth, that much she was sure of. She just hadn't kissed him. Yet.

Dusty was an amazing friend (a hot friend…), but even though she kissed him, she felt horrible. Seth was the number one guy in her life, and she knew that if he kissed some girl, she'd be pretty upset. Seth had always _hinted_ at liking her, but then again, he was confusing. Guys in general were confusing.

"_Wake up, sleepy head!" twelve-year-old Seth called, shaking the blonde beauty out of her sleep. She yawned and turned her blue eyes (or in this case, blue _eye_) in his direction._

"_What time is it?" she groggily asked. Seth pulled out his pokégear and squinted at it in the dim light._

"_Um, it looks like it says 7:30."_

_Mac groaned, but still pulled herself out of bed. She yawned and scratched the back of her head clad in dark blue pajama shorts and a lighter blue t-shirt with a red rose on it._

"_Let me get changed and presentable, then I'll meet you downstairs."_

_The raven-haired boy nodded enthusiastically before leaving her room. _

"_I can't wait to go exploring today!" he called. Mac nodded and yawned again. She pulled on light skinny jeans and a brown t-shirt with small blue flowers in the left corner on before rushing to her bathroom, splashing water on her face combing her hair, and brushing her teeth. After feeling like she was presentable, she grabbed her belt with five pokéballs on it before skipping down the stairs. She took then two at a time._

"_Okay, Seth, I'm ready." _

_Misdreavus popped out of his ball and sat atop her head before the two kids left the house. _

"_Where are we exploring today?" she asked. Seth shrugged._

"_I was thinking that we would scout out Iron Island a little bit. What do you think?" he suggested. Mac was hesitant to answer. She didn't partially like exploring too far away. That got her choked by strange men and injured Pokémon that fell in love with her on sight. "I-I brought Grotle so he can protect us." _

_Mac finally caved and nodded with a small smile. He smiled back before grabbing her hand and tugging her onward to the boat. _

"_Love you, Mac." He said with a huge smile. She blushed, but smiled back just as big._

"_Love you too."_

—_**BREAK—**_

_While Mac was dozing on the bridge between the two separate parts of Canalave, Seth was busy trying to finish her birthday present. She was turning fourteen that same day and wanted to make the small gift perfect. Magmar was sitting by his side and helping him melt the metal for the necklace. _

_Mac had always loved the Pokémon Frostlass. She had told him how she wanted to catch a Snorunt and evolve her into a Frostlass, so Seth was busy making a necklace with snowflakes on it and a small figure that resembled a Frostlass. He had a Dragonair necklace, one that his father had made him, and so in following through his father's footprints, he was making dazzling jewelry as well. Mac's head on his shoulder did make things kind of difficult. _

"_Seth…?" Mac said tiredly as she woke up from her nap._

"_Yeah?" he had finished and was now proceeding to hold the necklace behind his back._

"_What are you doing?"_

_She was answered with having a gorgeous necklace placed around her neck. It was made of silver and had beautifully handcrafted snowflakes and a small outline of a Frostlass with a blue gen in the center. She gasped and hugged Seth around his neck._

"_Oh my goodness, Seth! This is beautiful, I love it!" _

_Seth wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. She stood and ran to show Wendy and Mandy. Seth sat, his legs dangling into the harbor, the same smile still on his cheeks._

"_Happy birthday, Mac. I _love_ you."_

—_**BREAK—**_

_Mac sat inside her house, reading a horror novel about a vampire on a rampage. "Dracula" she thought the name was. It wasn't necessarily horror, but it was a dark and brooding book none the less._

"_Mac!" Seth called from her front door. She smiled and placed the book down on the table._

"_Coming!" she yelled back. She slipped on a black hoodie and ran to the door. She wrenched it open and threw herself into his arms. _

"_What are we doing today?" she asked. He shrugged._

"_I was gonna let you decide since it's usually me that picks the place." He answered and set her down on the ground. She nodded and thought about it for a minute. _

"_Why don't we go to Jubilife City and shop?" she suggested. Seth smiled and nodded._

"_I'd like that." _

_Later, after their shopping was done (well, mostly Mac had shopped. Seth just tagged along because he cared for her), the two teens began to head home. It was getting late and they didn't to be walking to far outside while it was dark. Seth noticed a man standing just outside the guard tower and he hoped that this guy wouldn't give them any trouble._

"_Hey, baby." He slurred to Mac. Seth growled protectively as he sauntered over. Mac gulped and continued walking by Seth. "You wanna go to my place tonight?"_

_Seth punched him in the jaw before pulling Torterra from his pokéball. _

"_She's with me, got it? Don't talk to her like that."_

_As the two teens left Jubilife, Mac couldn't help but feel a surge of gratitude and liking the fact he said they were together._

—_**BREAK—**_

_Two teens, both around fourteen, made their way into the forest just outside Canalave. The boy, Seth had begged the girl, Mac, to come with him. He had bribed her by saying ghost Pokémon might inhabit the area, so she once again caved and followed. A large ghost Pokémon with a large glowing claw floated behind her and a powerful looking Weavil was right behind the boy. The Haunter had originally been Seth's. He had caught her the day the two had tried out school again, when they were 11. Only recently had he traded Mac the Haunter, still a Ghastly then, for her Sneasel, now a Weavil. During the trading period, they had evolved from either sheer happiness or their level had been raised far enough, but now both teens had a strong powerhouse on their team._

"_You ready?" Seth asked her. She gulped nervously, but nodded yes. She could so-o do this. No inhuman bad guys in here (hopefully)._

_The two teens walked inside the opening to the forest. Misdreavus was behind Mac (Haunter had been returned to her ball) and Torterra was behind Seth (Weavil had gotten tired as well). Seth smiled at her before grabbing her hand and interlacing their fingers. He lifted their intertwined hands and kissed the back of Mac's palm._

"_It's okay, Mac. It'll all be okay." He comforted. "I'm always here for you. No matter what happens, I'll always be there to rescue you." _

_Oh, if only he knew it was _her_ that would be doing the rescuing. _

_A black Pokémon that resembled a strange doll with its mouth zipped shut appeared from behind a tree. Mac looked at it and smiled. A Banette. They were a ghost type Pokémon. A few more appeared from behind different trees and began to surround the two teens. Before long, there were so many that neither teen would be able to get out without them moving for them. Seth instinctively moved in front of her to shield her from the Pokémon. _

"_Stay behind me." He whispered. Mac nodded. Misdreavus shrieked happily to the wild Pokémon and their eyes all zoned in on the ghost Pokémon. One of the Banette came forward and began to speak with Misdreavus. It was oddly colored and had a red mark on its side; it was probably the leader. He listened respectfully before turning to Mac and Seth; he motioned for the teens to follow him. They followed Mac's partner further into the forest with many Banette appearing from hidden places in the trees._

"_What's going on?" Mac asked Seth. She was beginning to feel slightly unnerved, but they hadn't attacked them yet. Hopefully it would stay that way._

"_I don't know." Seth shrugged. Misdreavus led them over to a small Shuppet. She was lying on a stone shivering from the effects of poisoning. Mac gasped and rushed to her side._

"_You poor thing!" she announced, sifting through her bag in search of a Pecha berry. "Is this what they wanted? For us to heal her?"_

_Misdreavus nodded and Mac fed the Pokémon a Pecha berry. An Oran berry was soon to follow. A few minutes later, the Shuppet was good as new. The Banette floating nearby began to rejoice happily as the Shuppet floated to the leader. They spoke for a moment before the leader nodded and left along with the other Banette. Shuppet turned to Mac and nuzzled her shoulder. Mac smiled. _

_She had made a new friend._

_Seth scratched the small Pokémon's head in affection. She leaned into his touch and Mac interlaced her fingers with his._

"_Thanks for taking me out here with you." She said. Seth leaned towards her, as if to kiss her, but Mac obliviously turned around back to Shuppet. Haunter and Misdreavus had returned to their pokéballs and Seth followed, slightly crushed, with Torterra behind him. Torterra made a small noise and Seth turned to him. He smiled slightly at the large grass-type Pokémon._

"_Maybe next time, Terra." He said with a sigh. Maybe with time, Mac could see how much he loved her._

* * *

**Yes, well THE END! Of this chapter at least. I like it a lot, but sorry about the non-actionness. Dusty and Mac will be back on track with the saving Seth, finding Darkrai, and waking the boy in a nightmare up in the next chapter.**

**So far, we have Meta-Akira on Dusty's side and rawrrxixeatxyou on Seth's. Thanks so much Ralyena Starrling for reviewing on like every chapter. That means a lot and thank you two for your constant reviews and voting for me. **

**See you guys next chapter!**


	14. Nightmares, Cresselia, and Darkrai Oh My

**Sorry about the last two (three?) chapters being kinda filler-y, but now we get back on track. I'm glad I've been able to have more time to write this and I'm hoping to finish this story before Spring break, and then get a few chapters of the sequel (I know it's far away, but whatever) out during Spring break. Hang tight, because the ride's about to get bumpy.**

**PS- The part about Mac and her being a "miracle baby" is important. Note that, okay? Okay. **

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* * *

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The next morning, the two teens got up and met for breakfast, acting like nothing had happened the day before. Mac's emotions were torn, but she decided to prioritize that finding Darkrai should be on top first. That would lead her to Seth and after saving him, _then _and _only_ then, she would sort out her feelings.

She hoped that day when she had to choose was _far_ into the future.

"So," Dusty began uncomfortably.

"So," Mac responded, chewing on her lip again. Ugh, she_ hated_ herself for making things so incredibly awkward.

"If we leave soon we should be able to make it to Veilstone before the sun sets." Dusty said before taking another bite of hash browns. Mac nodded slowly, trying to make it seem like yesterday never happened, but failing miserably. Dusty was affecting her and she didn't know what to do anymore. _'Good going, idiot.' _She told herself.

"You ready to go?" he asked. Mac nodded, grabbing the small bag by her side and slinging it over her shoulder.

"Yeah. We don't want to have to take any longer than we have to." Her head was spinning and she just wanted to get out of town. Stress was building and Mac didn't know how long it would be before she broke down. First, her best friend went missing, then she was sent on a wild goose chase in search of a legendary Pokémon, finally, she kissed her travelling companion and created this huge awkward bubble that couldn't be popped.

With a sigh, Mac stood up and exited the Pokémon center. When has life gotten so dysfunctional? She had really gotten herself into quite a conundrum.

"Hey, Mac, tell me something about you. Something I don't know yet." Dusty said, trying to start a conversation. Mac thought for a moment.

"Um, I'm a miracle baby." She answered. Dusty raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Huh? Care to elaborate?"

Mac giggled; glad the awkwardness was beginning to fade, she spoke. "My father was sterile. They had tried to have kids, but the doctor told them it was impossible. One night, my mother said she was visited by a strange man in her dreams. He told her not to be afraid and that he was going to help her have a child. In the morning, she had to sleep with her husband and a child would then be planted in her womb. Having nothing to lose, she did and I was born nine months later."

Dusty remained quiet, thinking. "That's… interesting. I was the first born and my other siblings just wouldn't stop coming."

Mac giggled again and fell into step next to him. This was okay; normalcy was returning.

"Now it's your turn."

Dusty tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Flames, my Houndoom, I've had since I was three. He was in an egg I found, and after he hatched, we were inseparable." Dusty said, patting the large dog's head. Mac blinked in surprise; she hadn't realized Flames had been let out of his pokéball. The Houndoom growled affectionately in the back of his throat as Dusty stroked his head. Mac watched with a smile on her face. It was so cute how such a large and fierce Pokémon could melt at his trainer's hand.

"Haunter…" the ghost Pokémon cried from beside Mac. Slightly startled, the ghost trainer turned to her.

"Something wrong, Girl?" Mac asked. Haunter nodded, her left claw glowing ominously.

"Haunt, hau, hau, ter." The Pokémon said. _"Something is following us…"_

Mac looked around carefully, trying to spot the threat. "Where is it?"

Haunter pointed a claw up towards an expanse of trees. Mac looked up in time to be met with a blue eye staring back at her and a shadow-like body before it disappeared into oblivion. Mac stood dumbfounded in the spot she was in, unable to move at all. Haunter nudged Mac affectionately, trying to get her trainer's attention.

"Haunt, ner ner?" _"Are you okay?"_ the purple ghost Pokémon asked. Mac slowly nodded her head.

"Was that… Darkrai…?" she asked. Haunter nodded.

* * *

Veilstone was a large city bustling with activity when the two trainers entered the town. People were selling an assortment of items on the street and Mac declined several people's offers for poffins and candy. Asking around, they found out where the little boy was: a small house barely inside the city limits. People were crowded around the small cottage and Mac and Dusty had to push their way through to reach the door.

"Excuse me?" Mac said, stepping into the small house. A young woman was seated by a bed where a small boy struggled within a nightmare. "I-I'm Mac McLennin and I'm here t-to help." She stuttered. The woman scrutinized her for a moment before beginning to laugh.

"Help? You? Don't make me laugh!" The woman continued her laughter. "So many people have come to help my son that it's practically hopeless! I don't need a child coming into my home and saying she can help! What do you have to offer?"

"_A Lunar Wing…" _

A voice entered her head, startling Mac as the woman continued her laughter.

"_Come to my island, Fullmoon Island, and I will help you, Mac…"_

Mac listened; nothing else in the room mattered except that voice. It was so familiar… How—

"_**Who are you?" **_Mac demanded of the voice. _**"Why are you helping me?" **_

The voice remained silent and Mac soon lost hope of receiving an answer. A girlish giggle soon followed the silence.

"_I am a friend. Find me and I shall explain everything. Come to Fullmoon Island, Mac. Come to Fullmoon Island…"_

Mac nodded determinedly and turned back to the woman. "I can get a Lunar Wing. I know where one is and I'll bring it to you." She responded. Dusty glanced at her through the corner of his eye. "I don't care if you think I can't do anything. I _will _help your son."

And with that, the blond teen stalked out of the room. She had never acted so brave in her life and she was shaking so much Dusty thought she might fall apart.

"Mac? Are you okay?" He asked. Mac nodded, pulling out Drifblim's pokéball and taking several deep breaths.

"Yeah, I am."

Dusty gave her a smile, touching her shoulder affectionately. "That was really cool what you did, but who told you where a Lunar Wing is?"

Mac knitted her eyebrows together, deep in thought. "I, I think Cresslia did."

* * *

Mac held on tightly to Drifblim's head: Dust was clutching the Pokémon along with the side of Mac. He was terrified of having the large Pokémon drop him or Mac so he was doing his best to hang onto both of them. Murkrow was flying beside them and was there for extra help. Drifblim was only so strong and even having the help of a small bird was helping to relieve some of the weight.

"So, remind me again where we're going?" Dusty asked.

"My hometown, Canalave. The port there is home to a good friend of mine, Captain Norris and I remember him mentioning Fullmoon Island before. Fullmoon is where the Lunar Wing will be. He can take us there if I ask him."

Dusty nodded and fell silent once more. It was quite a ways away and flying there was the quickest option.

Not too long later, the "Cargo Port" City came into view. Drifblim landed in an exhausted heap just outside the city and Mac returned her to her pokéball.

"You did great, Drifblim. Have a nice long rest." Mac said soothingly. Murkrow was perched on Mac's shoulder as the two trainers entered the town. They crossed the bridge and Mac made a bee-line for Captain Norris' home. She knocked erratically, trying to get the captain's attention.

"Captain Norris! I need your help!" She called. The door was opened by a woman with a tearstained face. Mac instantly recognized her as the Captain's wife.

"Mac, we need your help too." She said, choking on her tears. She opened the door wider and Mac was able to see their young son convulsing on the bed.

He was trapped in a nightmare.


	15. Cresselia's Story I Love You

**ONWARD TO INTENSE-NESS! **

…**I don't have much to say…**

* * *

Mac stood frozen in the doorway, trying her best not to cry. The little boy, Dylan, Mac had babysat for. He was like a little brother to her and seeing him like that…

Dylan's eyes were rolled into the back of his head as he stared up at the ceiling. His body was convulsing terribly and he was muttering "Darkrai…" over and over again. It was painful to watch and Mac knew that she had to do _something_. Dylan was Norris' son and after all the times the Captain had helped her and Seth, Mac would do anything for him.

"Where's Captain Norris?" Mac asked. Mrs. Norris motioned to the back door that led out to his boat. "I'm going to help you, I promise."

Mac leaned over the boy and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. She gave him a heartbroken smile before turning to walk back outside.

"Captain Norris!" Mac yelled. The Captain looked over at her and managed a smile that resembled a grimace.

"Hello again, Mac."

"Can you take us to Fullmoon Island? I know how to help your son."

The man smiled sadly but nodded. "Aye, I can get ya there, but helping Dylan is another thing entirely."

"There is a Lunar Wing there that will wake him up. I promise." Mac stressed. Captain Norris sighed but slowly nodded his head.

"Alright. All aboard."

Mac and Dusty followed him onto the ship and waited patiently for the boat to make port on the mysterious island. Mac didn't know what exactly to expect; was it Cresselia that had called to her? If it was, why? How could the Pokémon, if that was what it was, help her? Now, instead of one little boy (and a terrible mother, Mac added) locked in a nightmare, there were two. Why was Darkrai doing this? How could she capture it?

Mac was woken from her thoughts by the ship coming to a jerky stop. The three passengers exited the boat and Mac hugged their Captain.

"Thank you, Norris. I promise I'll be able to help Dylan. Just give me a few minutes." Mac said. She turned to Dusty. "Wait here. I go in alone."

Dusty made a move to protest, but stopped at Mac's determined glare. He sighed and nodded, motioning to the forest's entrance. Mac took a deep breath before plunging into the darkness.

* * *

The forest wasn't very big and as soon as Mac entered through the brush, the place was cast with an eerie glow. Mac tentatively looked around, searching for any sign of something alive. It was completely quiet and the silence was unnerving to the ghost trainer. Misdreavus popped out of his pokéball and rested on Mac's shoulder. He nudged his trainer affectionately and shrieked quietly to let her know he was there to help.

"_Darkrai…? Is that you…?" _a voice asked. Mac jumped and searched for the source of it. Her eyes landed on a large blue and yellow Pokémon with a moon-shaped head and glowing, pink, ring-like wings. Mac stared in awe at the Pokémon, recognizing it as Cresselia from pictures in books she has read while researching Darkrai.

"_Hm…__** Not**__ Darkrai then. You must be Mac. Nice to meet you!" _The Pokémon gave her what resembled a smile and approached the stunned trainer. _"Here is the Lunar Wing." _

A feather fell from Cresselia's body and Mac stooped down to retrieve it. "Why did you think I was Darkrai?" she asked. Cresselia giggled and watched Mac closely.

"_Because, you are his Discharge Child."_

"'Discharge Child'?" Mac questioned. The Pokémon nodded.

"_Yes; a Discharge Child is someone very special to a legendary Pokémon. Legendaries are very powerful Pokémon and in order to keep their power from overproducing and causing them to loose control, they find a child that can hold their power and release it into them. That is why some trainers have special abilities like telekinesis, or being able to change the weather, or even attracting ghost Pokémon."_ She explained. Mac took a seat on the soft ground to listen.

"And… Darkrai gave me some of _his_ power, correct?" Mac asked, trying to grasp the fact that she had Pokémon DNA inside her. Cresselia nodded vigorously.

"_Yes, well, in a way. You are a very special case. Legendaries can't release their power into just any child; it has to be someone they're compatible with, much like giving blood to a person in need. It needs to 'match up'. Darkrai couldn't find a human to be compatible with, so he made one instead._

"_He found a young woman who wanted to have a child. He found he was compatible with her, but she was too old to survive being infused with his energy. He infused his DNA with her husband's sperm and brought the dead semen to life with his own energy and powers along with removing the barrier of the young woman's infertility. The child born was part human and part Pokémon._

"_Arceus grew angry with Darkrai for creating life and punished him by placing a cap over his power for ten years. Darkrai hadn't released enough of his power and soon began to loose control. That is why he has been accidentally placing children in nightmares. I've done my best to help them, but I am in need of rest."_ Cresselia explained. Mac sat there in shock; she was part _Pokémon! _But, that was so farfetched! Mac shook her head.

"That can't be possible…" she mumbled, suddenly feeling light headed. "Darkrai is my _father…?"_ she asked, more to herself. Cresselia nodded slowly.

"_In a way. Your birth would not have been possible without his help." _She answered. _"And now he's being hunted. You're the only one that can find him and stop his rampage."_

"But what about Seth?" Mac asked. "I need to find Darkrai in order to save Seth!"

Cresselia smiled. _"Don't worry about Seth._" She responded. _"I'm… watching over him, you could say."_

"Wha—" Mac started, but the legendary psychic Pokémon cut her off.

"_Mac, be careful; Darkrai will help you save Seth, but if Team Galactic gets their hands on you, they'll be unstoppable. They know about Discharge children and you're the first they've found along with knowing their 'Parent' Pokémon. Once you have Darkrai in your possession, they'll capture you and use your combined power to destroy this world and create another." _Cresselia warned. _"I— I love Darkrai and I don't want anything to happen to him, much like Seth doesn't want anything to happen to you."_

Mac's face heated up and she turned her head away to hide her blush. "You seem familiar. Why?"

Cresselia smiled again. _"I don't know, do you?"_ she said in a tone that clearly showed she did. _"See you later, Mac!"_ and with that, the large Pokémon disappeared before Mac's eyes. As she faded, Mac could have sworn she saw a boy with dark hair, dark eyes, and that familiar, cocky smile Mac knew so well. She smiled to herself, finally getting it.

"Ah, so Seth's your Discharge Child. I guess that makes sense; you act like him." Mac's eyebrows knitted together and she looked up at the sky, the blush from earlier still painting her face. The hair in front of her eye fell back and uncovered it as the teen stared up with crystal blue eyes. "It also makes sense why—"

She cut off, looking around her. Her blush intensified as reality hit her like a ton of bricks. In her mind, she finished her sentence.

"—_**why I'm in love with Seth too…"**_


	16. IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE

***waves* Hey, This is Eris. Please don't hurt me! I'm here to apologize for the two year hiatus. But, do not worry! I am also here to tell you that I am rewriting this story and going to be putting it back up within the next month or so. It is being rewritten right now, and I plan to start reposting in a month. Thank you for your patience! **

**I will leave this story up for the moment until I finally resubmit the story. It will be much better, I promise.**


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